e
What Do You Think of the Design of TiVo's Bolt?
More design for design's sake?
TiVo has unveiled their new Bolt set-top box, and every article written about it cannot help but mention the physical design. That's because it looks like this:
Enter a caption (optional)While the odd shape is arguably functional—the cooling vents are located beneath the apex of the arch—I can't help but feel the form was designed primarily for press-getting purposes, and by all accounts it's working. But as with the Bouroullecs-designed Samsung Serif TV, we have to ask: Does this form factor contribute to the user experience in any way? Folks are meant to purchase this box in order to DVR or stream content to their black rectangles; once they're absorbed in their content, are they meant to gaze lovingly down at the swoopy silver box beneath it?
The back of every peripheral typically looks bad, and to me this one looks even worse:
Enter a caption (optional)The canted appearance of the rectilinear ports wanderingly following the form's angle seem jarring and ill-considered. On top of that, look at the variance in the reveal of the rear panel:
Enter a caption (optional)And this is in a press photo. Not exactly automotive tolerances they've achieved here. I guess it's fair to say that the old craftsman's saw about designing the unseen back of the cabinet to look as good as the front no longer applies these days.
Given that this object is not something we directly, physically interact with, beyond the first time we plug the cables into it, one could argue that it doesn't matter what the thing is shaped like. Which means, in my opinion, that the object ought to be as invisible as possible, rather than designed into an arbitrary asymetrical arch.
So, what do you think: Hell in a handbasket, or the wave (no pun intended) of the future? As our lives become filled with more technology-harnessing rectangles, can we expect to see more designers "expressing themselves" in this manner?
What's not known, by the way, is just who designed this thing. TiVo's not saying, and they famously laid off their industrial design staff last year.
-
oFavorite This
-
Q12Comment
Directory Company Profiles
Core77
Industrial Design
Resources
Industrial Design
Resources
-
Core77 Directory
Find the Best Industrial Design CompaniesGo -
Fresco Design
Fresco supports world-class brands with world-class design. Based in the Boston area, a leading inno...
-
Mighty Studios
Mighty Studios is a business-savvy product design consultancy. We believe that good design should be...
-
Spitfire Industry
WHO WE ARE Spitfire is a design studio headquartered in Brooklyn. Our founder, Isis Shiffer, an awa...
-
Cardboard Helicopter Product Design
We are a boutique product development studio in Cleveland, Ohio, and we make ideas fly. Drop us a l...
-
Sundberg-Ferar | Product Innovation Studio
Sundberg-Ferar, a product design firm, helps the world's leading durable product companies to turn c...
-
Endeavor Design
We help transform ideas into compelling products that grow your business.
-
Studio1642
Get the website and videos your business needs in weeks, not months. Enjoy personalized, high-qualit...
K
{Welcome
Create a Core77 Account
Already have an account? Sign In
By creating a Core77 account you confirm that you accept the Terms of Use
K
Reset Password
Please enter your email and we will send an email to reset your password.
Comments
As the person chief in charge of the cleaning around here, all I see is a dust trap.
It completely fails to address the real issue: no one puts these on top of their "TV-sets" any more. When is someone going to make a 'flat-screen box'
Not the wave of the future for sure. I didn't even know Tivo was a thing anymore. Seems like they are falling and looking for branches to grab on to.
that is what happens when someone in marketing/product management says 'hey, we need some industrial design so that we look different'
i think they should have focused the design on small form. make the unit as small as possible. it is not the focal point, the TV screen is. Ease of use is the most important aspect of any consumer electronic device. And installing the device is part of that, that is all that matters physically with this product, past that the emphasis needs to be in the GUI. I always am a fan of a AV product that i can tuck away behind the TV, hiding all wires (insert chromecast, etc).
There is more to this design than is initially obvious.
It is asymmetrical to allow for the flat PCB board to extend past the bend to reduce the unused space in the box. The connector layout on the back is defined by this flat board but their locations were chosen to allow them to fit the differing heights of the box.
The power plug is at the highest point as the power components are large, and this places them nearest the cooling airflow. Lastly you cannot stand this on its side with the bend at the bottom. This prevents consumers from being able to set the box upside down with the heat from the power section cooking the active electronics. Combining all of these features should allow for a box that appears smaller while still having good thermal management by guaranteeing use of airspace outside the box. I think this design shows good attention to use cases of the end consumer and constraints of manufacturing. I just wish it wasn't so fugly.
how about no box. People are tired of boxes, even slightly bent ones. I don't own a television for this very reason: I'm not buying another box. They suck.
Definitely the result of committee design. If this form factor was driven by the designer, then color me shocked (and rather disappointed).
The bend is probably there to prevent stacking, as I think someone pointed out below, but there are a million and 1 ways to prevent stacking without clumsy design elements
I think electronics in general the last 5-10 years have been heavily influenced by the Apple school-of-design; Simple, geometric shapes and toned-down CMF. The situation in the 90's I believe was different, one example is the very expressive Thomson products designed by Philipe Starck. The difference was that these were at least thoroughly designed, compared to this. Not much thought has gone into this design, and its designed to be a gimmick rather than a great product.
Makes sense for marketing. sure it breaks many coveted design rituals, maybe it doesent follow the gospel of Ive or Rams. But this is Tivo, they need something to stand out, their company depends on it.......Funny to me that its called the "bolt" and looks like an earthworm moving.
It seems intended to prevent people from stacking things on top. This is becoming more common as processor power (and thus heat) increases and as marketing teams consider the value of being the most visible of many devices in the A/V "stack."
I would've liked to see all the connectors following the angle. Looks like an afterthought.
It breaks away from a boring box without making the usual aggressive statement. From the video reviews, looks like a small footprint so that allows for some creativity in a very boring industry of set top boxes. Cool design.